WITH around 65,000 England fans expected to travel to the US for the World Cup, they could be caught out by a string of lesser-known rules.
As an army of Three Lions supporters prepares to descend on the biggest football tournament, they’ll have to navigate a country where the rulebook off the pitch can look very different to what they’re used to at home.
Across the 11 US host cities, as many as 10 million visitors are expected to descend for the 39-day tournament, which kicks off on June 11.
It will also be staged across Canada and Mexico in the first-ever three-nation World Cup.
Professor Steve Greenfield warned many supporters could make the mistake of treating the tournament as though it is being played under one set of rules.
He told The Sun: “I think it’s the expectation that it’s one culture.
“We’ve got three different countries, but within the USA, it’s a state-based system, with lots of different cultures and laws that may be applicable within different states.
“There’s always a danger that we assume that because it’s one country that everything will be the same.”
With England’s group stage games spread across Texas, Massachusetts and New Jersey, supporters could quickly discover that some of the most familiar matchday habits from Europe don’t translate.
For many fans, one of the earliest shocks will come simply trying to enjoy a beer on the move.
In Texas, Massachusetts and New Jersey, open-container laws mean it is illegal in most public spaces to carry an open alcoholic drink on the street.
That means no walking between bars with a pint, no casual street drinking near fan zones and no wandering back from the stadium with a drink in hand.
While enforcement can vary by district, fines can be issued on the spot, and “container zones” where alcohol is permitted outdoors are tightly controlled.
In all three of England’s group-stage locations, open containers are effectively illegal in public areas, meaning supporters used to continental-style street drinking could be caught out within minutes of arriving.
Even the idea of a beach beer – a staple of many fans’ summer holidays – could prove risky.
Across the US, many beaches ban alcohol outright, while others restrict it to specific areas or times of year, with beach patrols actively enforcing the rules.
In Massachusetts, many public beaches around Boston and Cape Cod are strictly alcohol-free.
In New Jersey – which carries a strong party reputation – alcohol rules are also far tighter than the image suggests.
Another major misconception for travelling fans is the law surrounding cannabis use.
While recreational cannabis is legal in some US states, it remains illegal in others and is still prohibited under federal law.
That creates a legal patchwork which could potentially land fans in hot water.
Recreational cannabis is illegal in Texas, where even small possession can lead to criminal charges.
Massachusetts has legal recreational cannabis, but it cannot be consumed in public – with the same applying in New Jersey.
Greenfield warned that differing cannabis laws across the country could easily catch fans out.
He said: “If you’re coming from here and you like to take dope, you’re in for a pleasant surprise.
“But then you run the risk of assuming it’s okay then. And then you go to a state where it isn’t legal. You don’t think about it. You think, ‘oh, it’s legal. It’s fine’. But it’s not in one nation.”
Supporters treating it like an Amsterdam trip risk finding themselves in legal grey areas very quickly.
Even something as simple as buying a drink will require more preparation than many England fans are used to.
The US drinking age is 21 nationwide, and enforcement is far stricter than in the UK, with ID checks carried out routinely regardless of age.
ID is required for buying alcohol in bars, shops and fan zones – even supporters in their 40s or 50s can be refused service if they fail to produce documentation.
Greenfield said many supporters are also likely to underestimate just how expensive drinking can be in the US once taxes and tipping are factored in.
He said: “I think the big shock for people is going to be the cost of alcohol.
“So let’s say you start with a beer that’s $10, which is easy over there. And then you get your local tax whacked on, which is probably around 8 per cent in Texas.
“So all of a sudden you may be up to around $11. And then there’s tipping expectation. And it’s more than an expectation. It’s almost a requirement.
“So, you know, you’re then looking at a beer going from $10 to somewhere between $13 and $14.”
Once inside stadiums, fans will also have to adjust to some of the strictest matchday security rules in world sport.
Across US venues, including those hosting England’s group games, clear bag policies are standard, with backpacks and large handbags typically banned outright.
Only transparent bags of a limited size are usually allowed, and entry involves airport-style security checks, including removal of belts, keys and sometimes shoes, with random secondary searches common.
There has also been confusion around what fans can bring into stadiums to drink.
FIFA has recently updated its Stadium Code of Conduct, reversing earlier guidance on reusable bottles.
While supporters were initially expected to be allowed to bring empty transparent bottles into venues, the updated rules now ban reusable water bottles entirely.
The change has raised concerns given expected summer temperatures of between 26C and 28C at some host cities, alongside questions over access to drinking water inside stadiums.
The rule shift means supporters will have to rely on water stations or purchase drinks inside venues, adding another layer of adjustment for fans travelling in heat unfamiliar to many European match-going routines.
Concerns around disorder are also front of mind for organisers.
Local authorities can introduce emergency restrictions – including temporary curfews in exceptional circumstances – during major security incidents, civil unrest or severe weather events.
This would effectively shut down parts of a host city, leaving supporters scrambling to get back to hotels.
In Mexico City, protesters have already toppled World Cup player statues with demonstrators — a group of teachers demanding higher wages — warning they will disrupt matches if the federal government does not engage with their demands.
If England top their group, they could face Mexico in Mexico City on July 6.
The way fans interact with police in the US can also carry far greater consequences than many will be used to back home.
While free speech protections are strong, confrontational behaviour towards law enforcement can escalate.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/sport/16503796/england-fans-world-cup-rules-us/
